Afghanistan: London Conference

Lord Triesman: I wish to inform the House that my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, his Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan opened the London Conference on Afghanistan on 31 January. My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Jack Straw), the Secretary of State for Defence (Dr John Reid), the Secretary of State for International Development (Mr Hilary Benn) and my honourable friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Dr Kim Howells) represented the UK at different sessions. The conference was attended by over 60 delegations.
	The London conference successfully created the framework for the next phase of development in Afghanistan. It demonstrated the commitment of the Afghan Government and the international community to deepen their partnership, as we work together to build a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan. The launch of the Afghanistan compact (a copy of which I have placed in the Library), and discussion of the interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy and of the revised National Drug Control Strategy, all contributed to a renewed sense of purpose and direction.
	Many delegations made new financial pledges at the conference, making available over $10.5 billion for the implementation of Afghan Government priorities over the next five years. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister told the conference that for its part the UK would spend £500 million in assistance for Afghanistan over the next three years.
	The conference recognised the interconnected nature of the challenges ahead, with progress on security, governance and development being mutually reinforcing. It recognised the cross-cutting nature and scale of the narcotics problem and the threat that this posed to Afghanistan's reconstruction. Delegates welcomed the newly updated National Drugs Control Strategy. On security issues, it was noted that Afghanistan continues to welcome assistance from international forces and supports the expansion of the NATO-led ISAF. On governance, there was broad support for sensitive handling of transitional justice issues and acknowledgement of the valuable role played by NGOs in Afghanistan's reconstruction. The conference welcomed the Afghan Government's plans for economic and social development by focusing on private sector development, investment in key infrastructural sectors such as power, water and roads, and by building human capacity. There was also useful discussion about improving aid effectiveness.
	I am pleased that representatives of the Afghan National Assembly and of Afghanistan's civil society were able to attend the conference. Our partnership is both with the Government and the people of Afghanistan and their elected representatives. The challenge now is to build on the momentum created by the conference—to implement the compact so as to bring real improvements to the lives of people in Afghanistan. Early follow-up action will include establishing the new joint co-ordination and monitoring mechanism envisaged in the compact, to achieve greater coherence of effort between the Afghan Government and the international community, led for the latter by the UN.
	I will set out the detail of UK support for the newly updated National Drug Control Strategy in a separate Written Ministerial Statement tomorrow.

Commission for Social Care Inspection: Fees

Lord Warner: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Liam Byrne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	In 2002 the Government stated their policy to move gradually to a position where the recurrent costs of regulation are fully recovered from service providers. This remains our policy.
	Increased fees for registration and inspection will be charged therefore by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) from April 2006. These are set out in the table. The fees are subject to a 15 per cent increase over 2005-06 levels, except in relation to boarding schools and further education colleges whose fees already match the full cost of regulation.
	In parallel, the Government will address the overall cost of regulation to limit what providers will pay in future. We are also working with the inspectorates, and have been for some time, to ensure regulatory services are provided as cost-effectively as possible, and working with public commissioners of care to ensure they understand that regulatory costs are a legitimate part of the cost of providing care and need to be reflected in commissioning fees.
	Individual letters are being sent to all providers of care services regulated by CSCI to notify them about the increases.
	
		Fees for registration and inspection 2006-07 (2005-06 in brackets) -- Commission for Social Care Inspection
		
			 Service Provider Registration Manager Registration Minor Variation Variationrequiring visit 
			 Care homes £2,186 (£1,901) £596 (£518) £99 (£86) £1,093 (£950) 
			 Small care homes £596 (£518) N/A £99 (£86) £596 (£518) 
			 Children's homes £2,186 (£1,901) £596 (£518) £99 (£86) £1,093 (£950) 
			 Small children's homes £596 (£518) N/A £99 (£86) £596 (£518) 
			 Residential family centres £1,822 (£1,584) £497 (£432) £83 (£72) £911 (£792) 
			 Small residential family centres £497 (£432) N/A £83 (£72) £497 (£432) 
			 Domiciliary care agencies £1,822 (£1,584) £497 (£432) £83 (£72) £911 (£792) 
			 Small domiciliary care agencies £497 (£432) N/A £83 (£72) £497 (£432) 
			 Nurses agencies £1,822 (£1,584) £497 (£432) £83 (£72) £911 (£792) 
			 Small nurses agencies £497 (£432) N/A £83 (£72) £497 (£432) 
			 Voluntary adoption agencies principal office and branches £1,518 (£1,320) N/A £69 (£60) £759 (£660) 
			 VAAs with small principal office or branch £414 (£360) N/A £69 (£60) £414 (£360) 
			 Independent fostering agencies £2,186 (£1,901) £596 (£518) £99 (£86) £1,093 (£950) 
			 Adoption support agencies and branches £1,518 (£1,320) £414 (£360) £69 (£60) £759 (£660) 
			 Small adoption support agencies and small branches £414 (£360) N/A £69 (£60) £414 (£360) 
			 Adult placement schemes £2,186 (£1,901) £596 (£518) £99 (£86) £1,093 (£950) 
			 Small adult placement schemes £596 (£518) N/A £99 (£86) £596 (£518) 
		
	
	
		Fees for registration and inspection 2006-07(2005-06 in brackets) -- Commission for Social Care InspectionAnnual Fees
		
			 Service Flat rate Approved Place from 4th-29th Approved place over 30th 
			 Care homes £297 (£259) £99 (£86) £99 (£86) 
			 Small care homes and adult placements carers £199 (£173) N/A N/A 
			 Children's homes £994 (£864) £99 (£86) £99 (£86) 
			 Small children's homes £994 (£864) N/A N/A 
			 Boarding schools & FE £432 (£432) £26 (£26) £13 (£13) 
			 Residential special schools £795 (£691) £79 (£69) £40 (£35) 
			 Residential family centres £662 (£576) £83 (£72) £83 (£72) 
			 Domiciliary care agencies £1,242 (£1,080) N/A N/A 
			 Small domiciliary care agencies £621 (£540) N/A N/A 
			 Nurses agencies £828 (£720) N/A N/A 
			 Small nurses agencies £414 (£360) N/A N/A 
			 Voluntary adoption agencies and branches £690 (£600) N/A N/A 
			 Small voluntary adoption agencies and small branches £345 (£300) N/A N/A 
			 Independent fostering agencies £1,987 (£1,728) N/A N/A 
			 Adoption support agencies and branches £690 (£600) N/A N/A 
			 Small adoption support agencies and small branches £345 (£300) N/A N/A 
			 Adult placement schemes £1,987 (£1,728) N/A N/A 
			 Small adult placement schemes £994 (£864) N/A N/A

Elections: Pilot Schemes

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government are continuing to look at ways to modernise our electoral system and to increase the opportunities that people have to vote. To test the effectiveness and robustness of these innovations and to build public confidence in them, we are continuing to conduct a programme of pilots in 2006 which maintains the momentum that was started in 2000.
	With this aim in mind, at the end of October 2005, in conjunction with the Electoral Commission, we issued a prospectus inviting expressions of interest from local authorities seeking to run electoral pilots at the May 2006 local elections.
	Today I am pleased to announce that I have accepted 16 applications from local authorities to hold pilots at the May 2006 local elections. The names of the successful local authorities are attached at the end of this Statement. A background paper providing further details on the pilots has been placed in the Library.
	The local authorities will pilot innovations including:
	trials of changes to the administration of elections proposed in the Electoral Administration Bill, such as changes to the ballot paper to support more secure efficient production of postal votes and the checking of signatures on postal ballots;
	voting in alternative locations such as shopping centres and rural locations to allow us to further test how voting in different locations and at different times can enhance access; and
	electronic counting of ballots which will build on past work and test how this can be refined to ensure confidence and support future use of technology to gain efficiencies in the administration of elections. This will also enable us to identify how technology can support counting in the different voting systems used in local authority and regional elections.
	Some of these pilots will assist us in planning the implementation of the proposals in the Electoral Administration Bill, in ensuring the ongoing integrity of electoral mechanisms and in refining and developing the programme of work for ensuring electoral processes fit with the needs of modern lifestyles.
	The next step will be for us, working in consultation with the Electoral Commission and the local authorities, to draw up the statutory orders authorising the pilots.
	We are grateful to all local authorities that applied to pilot in May 2006 and are keen to continue to engage local authorities in looking at innovative ways to improve the elections process and take advantage of new technologies.
	Total: 16
	London Borough of Brent
	Brentwood Borough Council
	Borough of Broxbourne
	Epping Forest District Council
	London Borough of Harrow
	London Borough of Lewisham
	Merseyside Authorities (Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens and Sefton)
	London Borough of Newham
	Peterborough City Council
	Rushmoor Borough Council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council
	Stevenage Borough Council
	Swindon Borough Council
	Stratford-on-Avon District Council
	Tyne and Wear Authorities (Gateshead, Newcastle, South Tyneside and Sunderland)
	City of Westminster

EU: Economic and Financial Affairs Council

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	Items on the agenda are as follows:
	Stability and Growth Pact: ECOFIN will adopt council opinions on the stability programmes of Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria and the convergence programmes of Estonia, Latvia and Slovenia;
	Lisbon Agenda: council will discuss the Commission annual progress report on the Lisbon Agenda and will hold a first debate on the ECOFIN key issues paper for spring European Council;
	European Investment Bank Contribution to Growth and Employment: ECOFIN will discuss the role the European Investment Bank can play in promoting jobs and growth;
	Ageing Report: ECOFIN will consider a report from the Economic Policy Committee on the impact of ageing populations on public spending;
	Appointment to the European Central Bank Executive Board: council will consider the appointment of a successor to Otmar Issing to the European Central Bank executive board;
	Vienna VAT Fraud Conference: ECOFIN will be debriefed on a conference held on 6-7 February to discuss VAT fraud issues.

House of Lords: Broadcasting

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The Information Committee has recently made two changes to the arrangements for broadcasting in the House. These changes originate from the report Members Only? Parliament in the Public Eye by the Hansard Society Commission chaired by the noble Lord, Lord Puttnam.
	Filming in the Chamber
	From Monday 13 February to Thursday 16 March a trial will be held of a new protocol governing filming in the Chamber. The new protocol relaxes the rules and conventions that govern what the broadcasters can film when the House is sitting. The purpose of the new protocol is to enable broadcasters to provide more engaging footage of the business in the Chamber.
	The new protocol is as follows:
	The director filming the proceedings in the House of Lords Chamber should be free to select such shots as he believes appropriate in providing coverage of the business of the House.
	These should include a greater variety of shots than used at present (including close ups, panning shots etc); and the freedom to select reaction shots beyond simply named or identified Peers in order to provide "tone" of coverage which reflects the mood of the House.
	During Divisions the broadcasters should continue to receive a locked-off wide shot of the Chamber. Viewers will be able to hear some sound but this will just be a general "hubbub" and microphones will not be able to pick up specific conversations.
	Shots unrelated to the business of the House will not be allowed (incidents of disorder; the Public Gallery; Peers "in the news" etc) and the camera team will be expected to maintain complete neutrality with regard to the competing demands of different broadcasters.
	In order to discourage disorder, such incidents as may occur would be covered within the current disruption procedures for the Commons and Lords.
	Television interviews
	From Monday 13 February to Tuesday 25 July a trial will be held of a television interview point for broadcasters in the House of Lords. The point will be in the north-east corner of Peers Lobby, and the backdrop will be looking across the Lobby towards Brass Gates.
	Initially, broadcasters will be able only to record interviews from this point and not broadcast live. The BBC funded the provision of the facility in Central Lobby and, like the independent broadcasters, has expressed a clear interest in establishing a Lords interview point. However, no broadcaster has, at this stage, indicated any desire to fund a "live" technical link to their studios.
	The trial will enable an assessment of the level of genuine interest among broadcast companies for such a facility. It will also allow the Information Committee to make an informed decision about whether a live interview point should be installed.

Immigration: Child Visitors

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My honourable friend the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality (Tony McNulty) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have, as of 12 February, made changes to the Immigration Rules regarding children coming to the United Kingdom with a visa or entry clearance issued for the purpose of a visit. Some of these are accompanied by adults; many are not accompanied by an adult even though it has in the past been possible to obtain a visa without declaring that this will be the nature of the journey made. These changes will, therefore, provide further safeguards for children when entering the UK as visitors.
	We will require that a child seeking to visit the UK in their own right—that is, unaccompanied—must demonstrate that there are adequate arrangements for their care here and that they identify a person in their home country who is responsible for them. Where a visa national child is seeking entry to the UK as a visitor in the company of an adult, that adult must be identified, and the child's visa must identify the adult with whom they seek to enter.
	At present a child can apply for entry clearance at the same time as other close family members, be granted an entry clearance, and then travel to the UK either alone or in the company of an adult other than one of those who applied for a visa along with them. This can allow children to enter the UK in the company of an adult who is either unrelated or with whom they have little connection. By doing this they can evade the extra scrutiny of the reception and care arrangements awaiting the child in the UK which is given to children who travel unaccompanied. Some instances can be well intentioned but highly irregular, but in others the child is used to facilitate fraud, and can endure serious physical harm. However, the main cause of concern is the subsequent difficulty in tracing these children.
	The rules will now contain additional requirements for visa national children coming to the UK for a visit, be they travelling alone or with an adult. Each child will be issued with a separate entry clearance vignette. When applying for a visa for a child, the parent or guardian will be required to indicate whether the child will travel to the UK alone or with a nominated adult. The child's entry clearance will be endorsed to indicate the adult who will accompany the child. The entry clearance will not be valid for travel other than when accompanied by the identified adult. The visitor rules have been amended to reflect this (at paragraphs 41 to 46F of the Immigration Rules).
	The changes will create an official and accessible record which is not there at the moment. These measures are aimed at tackling some of the problems associated with unaccompanied minors arriving in the United Kingdom, chief of which is the lack of information about their circumstances in their home country. They will contribute to the ability to act, where necessary, when individual children come to attention after arrival for welfare and other reasons. They will ensure that children who enter the UK in the company of an adult do so in a recorded way, with a specific destination for their future care, and with a record of their parents' details in the place where the entry clearance was issued. The records which this provision will allow us to keep will be a deterrent to abuse, as all those involved in the child's travel will be traceable.

Marine Environment: High Risk Areas

Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Alistair Darling) has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I am today announcing 32 locations around the UK coast that have been identified as Marine Environmental High Risk Areas (MEHRAs). The locations of these areas have been identified after taking into account shipping risk, environmental sensitivity and other environmental protection measures already in place at each location and follow recommendations made by the late Lord Donaldson in his report Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas.
	MEHRAs will be an essential aid to passage planning since their primary purpose is to inform ships' masters of areas where they need to exercise even more caution than usual. This is just part of the information available to mariners to enable them to navigate UK waters safely. MEHRAs will now be notified by a marine guidance note to mariners who will be expected to exercise an even higher degree of care than usual when passing through them. They will also be marked on admiralty charts.
	Paper copies of the full MEHRAs report is available in the Libraries of both Houses and is also published at www.dft.gov.uk.

Security and Counter-terrorism

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Gordon Brown) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	A secure, safe and strong Britain requires concerted action against global terrorism with all the means at our disposal: military, security, intelligence, economic and culture. To this end co-ordinating the way we address international terrorism will be a central feature of the coming spending review.
	Just as there should be no safe haven for those who perpetrate terrorism, so there should no hiding place for those who finance terrorism. The Government will bring forward new measures to enhance the prevention, identification and disruption of terrorist financing. First, in order to strengthen the prevention of terrorist financing, the Government will:
	review how best to strengthen the safeguards to protect the charitable sector from terrorist abuse and protect donor confidence in so doing; and
	publish proposals to strengthen safeguards for money service businesses—and thereby protect the integrity of global remittances.
	Secondly, in order to identify terrorist networks and strengthen the operation of counter-terrorist finance measures, the Government are approving the publication today of new guidance by the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group providing strategic advice to banks and financial institutions on targeting suspicious transactions; and will establish a new dedicated forum to bring them together with government counter-terrorism agencies to formalise information sharing, take action when specific threats arrive.
	Thirdly, to disrupt terrorist networks when they come to light, the Treasury will strengthen asset-freezing mechanisms to make them more proactive and pre-emptive. This will include a greater joint working between the Treasury and other departments and agencies, both in respect of targeting and enforcement.
	The Government will also seek to hold the presidency of the Financial Action Task Force to provide a platform to promote strong implementation of terrorist finance measures worldwide.
	It is also fitting that we honour the contribution of those who fought in past conflicts. In order to support the fundraising for the Armed Forces memorial in Staffordshire, with the approval of Her Majesty the Queen, the Government will make available £1.5 million from the proceeds of a coin to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar towards the funding of this memorial.